About this Book

Book Summary

An intruiging re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, in which Wonderland exists, and Alyss is a princess escaping a bloody coup to hide in Victorian London. Lost and alone, she tells an aspiring author the surreal story; but he believes it to be mere fantasy. Now, years later, she is found by a loyal bodyguard, and together they fight to regain her lost throne.

The Looking Glass Wars unabashedly challenges our Wonderland assumptions of mad tea parties, sleepy dormice, and a curious little blonde girl to reveal an epic battle in the endless war for Imagination.
You know the myth...

A little girl named Alice tumbled down a rabbit hole and proceeded to have a charming adventure in the delightful, made-up world of Wonderland...

Now discover the truth... Wonderland Exists!

Alyss Heart, heir to the Wonderland throne, was forced to flee through the Pool of Tears after a bloody palace coup staged by the murderous Redd. Lost and alone in Victorian London, Alyss is befriended by an aspiring author to whom she tells the violent, heartbreaking story of her young life only to see it published as the nonsensical Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Alyss had trusted Lewis Carroll to tell the truth so that someone, somewhere would find her and bring her home. But Carroll had gotten it all wrong. He even misspelled her name! If not for royal bodyguard Hatter Madigan's nonstop search to locate the lost princess, Alyss may have become just another society woman sipping tea in a too-tight corset instead of returning to Wonderland to fight Redd for her rightful place as the Queen of Hearts.

Meet the heroic, passionate, monstrous, vengeful denizens of this parallel world as they battle each other with AD-52's and orb generators, navigate the Crystal Continuum, bet on jabberwock fights and travel across the Chessboard Desert.

Chapter 1

THE QUEENDOM had been enjoying a tentative peace ever since the time, twelve
years earlier, when unbridled bloodshed spattered the doorstep of every
Wonderlander. The civil war hadn't been the longest in all of recorded history,
but no doubt it was one of the bloodiest. Those who had entered a little too
quickly into the carnage and destruction had trouble adapting to life during
peacetime. When hostilities ceased, they ran amok on the streets of Wonderland's
capital city, looting and pillaging Wondertropolis until Queen Genevieve had
them rounded up and shipped off to the Crystal Minesa spiderweb-like network of
tunnels carved in a far-off mountainside, where those unwilling to abide by the
laws of decent society lived in windowless dormitories and labored to excavate
crystal from the unforgiving mountain. Even after these people were taken off
the streets, the peace that settled on Wonderland was nothing like that which
had existed before ...

Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

Our 12-year-old male reviewer loved every bit of The Looking Glass Wars - the humor, the action, the graphics and the characters. From an adult point of view, Beddor gets top marks for creativity and plot, but loses points for a clunky writing style that tends to read like a concept for a computer game rather than a finished book.
(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Media Reviews

Beddor has created his own version of the story, one where the characters have small hints of their counterparts, but are much more defined and complex individuals, with feelings and clear identities.

Children's Buyer's Guide

A highly original and engrossing read that takes the story of Carroll's Alice and turns it on its head in a totally believable way. I couldn't put it down and I can't wait for the next volume.

The Sunday Times

The Looking Glass Wars caused a stir this year by
playing with Lewis Carroll and offending the purists. But this
ingenious reworking for 10 to 13 year olds, in which the heroine feels
betrayed by Carroll's account, and in which imaging a thing makes it real -
is powerful, eventful and dark. Which is entirely legitimate
considering the surreality of the original.

The Guardian (UK) - Diane Rabinovitch

Fantastic battle scenes, plot twists, character interest and slow-burning love make this an ace read for both sexes.

Kirkus Reviews

The book reads more like a screenplay than a novel.

Publishers Weekly

Fans of the source material will find this an entertaining diversion, while those unfamiliar with it will miss much of the humor.

Reader Reviews

The Looking Glass Wars Review This book had imagination far greater that Alyss's.

Carlo

the looking glass wars This is the first book I ever read, and it is a good start on reading book. Frank Beddor truly has a great imagination.

Audrey

THE REVIEW OMG OMG!!!!! I TOTALLY just finished this TOTALLY rad book. I like, couldn't put it DOWN!!!! I SO wanted to actually talk to Dodge and like, kiss him and stuff. The action was SUPER!!! And I SO think this would make a TOTALLY SOOPER movie!! :)

Kelsey J

Great book I thought this book was absolutely incredible. By far the best book I have EVER read. Thanks for writing such a fantastic book :)

Beyond the Book

Frank Beddor is not your average first
time author. He's just published the
second in his Looking Glass trilogy (Seeing
Red), published a spin-off comic in
December 2005 about the character of
Hatter Madigan (Hatter M
illustrated by Ben Templesmith), is
working on a video game (set in
Wonderland during the 13-year-reign of
Queen Redd, which is barely touched on
in the book), and is in talks about a
movie trilogy which, undoubtedly, would
lead to countless merchandising
opportunities.

It is the cusp of World War I, and all the European powers are arming up. The Austro-Hungarians and Germans have their Clankers, steam-driven iron machines loaded with guns and ammunition. The British Darwinists employ fabricated animals as their weaponry. The Leviathan is a living airship, the most formidable airbeast in the skies of Europe.

Books that entertain, engage & enlighten

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.